Lottery Contract Issue Heats Up In Harrisburg
By Tony Romeo
HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) - It appears that Governor Corbett's efforts to contract a private firm to manage the Pennsylvania Lottery are heating up.
Ever since the attorney general ruled early this year that the governor did not have the authority to do it on his own, the issue has been on the back burner. Now Erik Arneson, spokesman for Chester Republican Dominic Pileggi, the Senate majority leader, says the issue has re-emerged.
"There is ongoing discussion to see if an agreement can be reached on legislation to authorize some type of private lottery management agreement."
If an agreement is reached on lottery legislation, Arneson also says Pileggi would like it to incorporate some kind of property tax relief, most likely a freeze on property taxes for senior citizens that he has previously proposed.
This development comes amid word that the Corbett Administration and the union representing Lottery Bureau employees are working an agreement that would allow Lottery workers to remain state employees if a private manager is hired.
